The recent snowfall may be a nuisance to many on the East Coast (namely New York, whose residents took to Twitter to express their frustration with the Blizzard of 2015 that never came), but for others in the Midwest, the treacherous weather is turning deadly.
According to the Chicago Tribune, 13 people have died in Chicago’s Cook and Dupage counties while shoveling snow. Cause? Heart attacks.
Ten of the deaths occurred in Cook County and three were reported in DuPage County, according to officials from county medical examiner and coroner offices.
Cook County announced that deaths occurred between about 6 p.m. Jan. 31 and 11:59 p.m. Feb 2 – the duration of the blizzard that left 19 inches of snow across much of northeastern Illinois.
Of the victims, nine were in their 60s, three were in their 50s and one was in his 40s. All but one of the victims were men.
The three victims in DuPage County were shoveling snow at their homes when they collapsed. They were taken to area hospitals and pronounced dead, said Charlie Dastych, the chief deputy coroner.
Nine of the Cook County victims died after shoveling snow and the 10th died after using a snow blower.
The recent storm was the fifth largest in Chicago’s recorded history, weather officials say.
Much of the snow in the beginning and middle part of the blizzard was the heavy, wet snow sometimes referred to as “heart-attack snow.”
Our thoughts and prayers to those who lost loved ones.
SOURCE: Chicago Tribune | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
